


That Was Not as Planned

by GaleforceFish



Series: Naruto One-shots [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Naruto
Genre: Akatsuki are too good for their teachers, I rewatched all the Harry Potter movies for this, Initiations that could get you in trouble, It's full of cliche situations, Judge me gently, M/M, Madara probably shouldn't be a professor, Short stories are hard, Things Don't Go As Planned, This may involve a love potion, or worse expelled, this is just a cute read
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:21:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28200795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GaleforceFish/pseuds/GaleforceFish
Summary: Recent Durmstrang transfer Kisame was just trying to enjoy his final school year in Hogwarts when he gets sucked up in the biggest too-cool-for-school group. Excited to prove himself worthy of their little 'test' for him, he finds his initial target changed to the group's most calm and collected genius, Itachi. It turns out quite differently than he was expecting.
Relationships: Hoshigaki Kisame/Uchiha Itachi
Series: Naruto One-shots [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1233833
Comments: 6
Kudos: 34





	That Was Not as Planned

**Author's Note:**

> Dedicated to Chariot (bartyrockwood) via the Akatsuki Secret Santa.  
> Hope you have a wonderful and safe winter holiday :)

This wasn’t exactly Kisame’s cup of tea. Duels? Sure, he could take out a few pipsqueak Hufflepuffs. Dark Arts? He was a transfer from Durmstrang who _specialized_ in Dark Arts. Of course, he’d also know the best way to counteract it. But love potions? This was going to end poorly. You didn’t ask a Blast-Ended Skrewt to go swimming. This was completely unnatural for him.

When he first came to Hogwarts, he planned on lying low and being unnoticed. After all, he only had to endure it for one year and then he could move on to the adult wizarding world. No one made friends or lifelong commitments in one year. So, what did he do instead? Get caught up in making friends. He just couldn’t help himself when he discovered a person who was interesting. Though unexpectedly, he found multiple interesting people.

The Akatsuki. A group of seventh years who seemed to be under the impression they were built for better things than the school allowed. They would create new spells on their own, test them out in secret, and they were all highly skilled and qualified. Everyone knew what they did, but no one was good enough to catch them breaking the rules. Not even the teachers. Rumors of nighttime duels, unprecedented transfigurations, or secret visits into areas outside the castle. Offenses that wouldn’t just lose them house points, but possibly get them expelled. 

Kisame had gotten their attention during the school-run duel championship. He always had more magical power than a normal student; it was why his professors at Durmstrang always trained him in the ways of an Auror. Dueling prioritized over Arithmancy, the study of magical creatures over Alchemy, Transfiguration over Divination. He thought that these Akatsuki fellows that took a curiosity to him might want to see what he was made of by making him battle something in their Forbidden Forest. But, _no_ , they wanted him to make a love potion. Why? Because love potions were forbidden, and they wanted to test his willingness to break the rules. 

He would like to point out the going to the forbidden forest _was also_ forbidden. It was in the freaking name! How cool would it be to see a werewolf or some other big beasty thing? But no, no one cared about that. 

Still, here he was, sitting in the Gryffindor common room while everyone else was in class, mixing together things he’d managed to steal from the potion master. One of the other Akatsuki members – her name was Konan? – mentioned that the professor really liked snakes. All Kisame had to do was let loose a few of them and voila, distracted professor. He’d never seen someone speak Parseltongue before and it was strange to hear, but luckily, he’d gotten away with everything. Luckier still that the snakes didn’t turn him in like the little sneaks they were.

Still…Kisame wasn’t that great at potions. 

He followed the instructions that another Akatsuki guy – Deidara – had given to him. Mix a few ingredients, turn a few things clockwise, wait a very specific amount of time. Who came up with this stuff anyway? Who actually took the time to learn how many stirs? And why was that important? You’d never go out into the real world and battle a dark wizard, stop in the middle of it, and say “hold on, let me just brew a potion of strength.” Even more, what enemy would let you drink something before a battle? This was just common sense.

He tossed in another mixture, wondering what they were going to do with this. Love potions really couldn’t hurt anyone, and they didn’t last forever. Whoever the Akatsuki were going to use it on, he wondered if it was worth it. None of them seemed to really be interested in romance; they were more about gathering power and being the strongest. 

“Ah,” he frowned slightly when he saw the potion turn a dark blue. That wasn’t right, was it? It was supposed to be paler or something. He picked up the instructions and reread everything he had done. Oh, he’d missed a stir. Go figure.

Kisame made one more counterclockwise twist in the potion and it turned a yellowish green. Huh, weird. He certainly never got to do stuff like this in Durmstrang. They were all brutes like him, not stuck inside playing with vials and goo.

Just as he was about to move on to the last phase, a creak echoed into the room and broke through the otherwise comfortable silence he’d been enjoying. No one was supposed to be back here yet, and he had made sure that no one had study hours either. Well, sounded like someone else wanted to break the rules alongside him. Too bad, they could do it somewhere else. This was _his_ common room now. 

The next step…the next step… Kisame ignored the shuffled confusion in the secret passageway as he added the next ingredient, filling the room with an all new aroma. It was salty, almost like the ocean. This was good because according to a book he read before starting this mission, a love potion was supposed to smell like something you loved. Kisame loved a lot of things with magic, but one of his favorite places was the ocean. He was on the right track!

“Hey!” a muffled voice came from the passageway. “Kisame, what did you do to the door?”

Oh, wait, he recognized that voice. Kisame quickly checked to make sure the potion would be okay to leave for a moment then got up. Not only was his magic strong, but Kisame himself was strong. His body was just built differently. Living in the Bulgarian mountains that Durmstrang called home, he went on constant hikes, went up against beefier monsters, and had thicker, tougher skin. It also meant that he was stronger than a bunch of these pushover Hogwarts kids. They reminded him of a bunch of dainty nerds with their noses stuck in a book. 

“Hang on,” he answered the knocking on the other side. Bracing himself, he took hold of the corner of the bookshelf he’d pushed in front of passageway entrance and pushed. All ordinary books on Gryffindor history and other boring topics that had nothing to do with winning battles or succeeding in treacherous situations filled the shelves. Really, what did this school teach their students? No wonder the Akatsuki went off on their own. 

With some effort, because there really was too many books on this thing, he managed to get it pushed aside enough to let Obito slip through the crack. “Is it just you?”

Obito offered him a friendly smile, sitting cross legged in the pathway as he watched Kisame push the bookshelf. It must have been like watching a strongman competition. “Were you expecting someone else?”

“I suppose not. Come on then, so I can put this back.”

The other boy slipped inside and took in the progress of the potion. From Kisame’s understanding, Obito’s skills lay more in Herbology and, like him, Defense Against the Dark Arts. “You’re coming along quickly. I didn’t think you’d be starting this so soon.”

“I had to,” Kisame answered after pushing the bookshelf back so no one else could get in. “Studying for exams will be coming up and soon this place will be crowded, and I didn’t want to wait for the holidays.”

Because that would be months. The longer he waited, the less likely he would be joining the Akatsuki. He really wanted to see what they were all about.

“It’s almost done anyways,” he added, getting back to his seat, picking up the instructions once more. He must have read them over a hundred times, yet he still felt like he was missing something. Shouldn’t a love potion be harder to make? “What do you plan on doing with it?”

Obito flopped into a nearby cushion, making himself at home by the fire as he watched Kisame continue his deed. He’d probably skipped on one of his classes to come here. What were Gryffindors supposed to be doing right now? Electives? Yeah, Obito was definitely skipping. “I think you mean, what do _you_ plan on doing with it. Making the potion is just phase one of your mission. There’s a part two.”

“Oh?” He paused his mixing to look up at the suddenly amused boy. They hadn’t told him about this part. “Just one mission isn’t enough to trust me?”

“We’ve all done something to prove our worth. If we let you do something as simple as this and get in, anyone could join. It’s not that hard to get away with making potions. But seeing them work in action? _That’s_ where the magic happens.”

Ha, magic. Puns. 

“Okay, so who is my target then?”

“That’s up to you.” Obito told him. “We don’t mind. We just want to see it work.”

“And after this test then. What next? Another test? Because I’ll tell you now, if it’s another potion then I’m out.”

Obito shook his head, “Nah, no more potions. Don’t feel bad, Kakuzu hates them too. He doesn’t have the best relationship with Professor Orochimaru and they constantly butt heads over what should or shouldn’t be taught in class. Kakuzu actually slipped the wrong ingredient into the professor’s cauldron and caused the entire thing to explode. It was hilarious until the smell got to you. You’ll find out next semester when we share potion classes with Ravenclaws.”

Kakuzu, eh? Kisame was still learning the names of everyone involved in their little group. They were all so close together even though they were from different houses. Unlike the other students, they didn’t care for house points or winning any competitions. He’d seen Obito staying up late working on new spells and hearing him mumble through the night. On other days, he was constantly challenging another boy in their house – Kakashi – to all sorts of things to test his own creations. What did the rest of them do? Were they thinking up their own spells too?

He added the last of the ingredients and smiled when he saw it fade to a pale, pearl-ish color. Exactly what it was supposed to be. Success! For an outside student with little experience in the matter, he’d pulled it off quite well. If it was this easy to make the potions, why wasn’t everyone doing it? No wonder there was a part two to his mission.

“Obito,” he turned to the other boy, “Do you have a flask I could borrow?”

“Sure.” He reached into his own satchel and quickly drained his flask of whatever had been in it. Somehow, he wouldn’t have been surprised if it was a beverage that Hogwarts banned from entering their school. Obito seemed the type of guy.

He gave it a good shake before handing it to Kisame, who then dipped it into his mixture. He had no idea who he was going to give it to. No one was particularly close to him, and no one would just accept a drink from a stranger. Kisame hadn’t the chance to really becoming close to anyone except maybe Obito who was in the same house as him, and everyone else either seemed to idolize the Akatsuki from afar or give them a wide berth. It gave him the impression that he was joining the popular kids. 

“Any suggestions on a target?” Kisame asked, screwing it shut and putting out the fire beneath his small cauldron. 

“I know who I’d use it on,” Obito answered vaguely, eyes straying towards the doorway like he could already imagine himself using it. “But that doesn’t help you. Just wait till you come across someone you fancy. Otherwise, you’ll give it to some dullard or blowhard and have to deal with them until it wears off.”

Fair enough, but he already knew that. “No timeline?”

“No timeline.”

Good, because he didn’t know how long this was going to take. Making the potion was one thing, delivering it successfully was another. 

Kisame put the flask into his own bag and gathered up the remainder of his workstation. If anyone discovered what he was doing, he was going to be in some serious trouble. Not only was making a love potion a big no-no, but it could get him in even worse trouble if they caught him using it. 

Yet, that’s what made this all fun. No one wanted a boring life. 

“Well then,” he said, clapping his hands together like he was dusting them off. “I’d better get to work then.”

❀ ❀ ❀

“Are all your cousins on Quidditch teams?” Kisame asked loftily from their seats, leaning forward onto the railing. Today was Ravenclaw versus Slytherin, and with nothing better to do he had joined Obito in watching the match. Plus, it allowed him to scout out potential victims of his soon to be love trap. The longer he’d been out there, the more sucked into the competitiveness of the game he’d been. That was when he noticed half the kids out there had dark hair, dark eyes, and pale skin. 

Obito was sitting next to him, feet propped up on the edge of the railing next to him, munching on some concession snacks. “Can you blame us? My family breeds like rabbits.”

No kidding. Yet of all the ones out there on the field right now, there were two that were stealing the show. Two Ravenclaw beaters, weaving through the sky like they owned it, knocking around bludgers and scoring points faster than the others could keep up with. They were more focused on actually winning while the Slytherins were having fun aiming their shots at the other team. Guess it was a strategy if you thought about it. 

“Who are those two?” He pointed towards the two beaters who were slapping their gloved hands together on a flyby between passes. 

Obito tossed a pecan into the air, missing it completely upon its fall, before he answered, “Itachi and Shisui.”

“Itachi…Hey, isn’t he one of the ones that hangs out with you guys?”

“Yeah, Itachi is often the mastermind behind some of our gatherings after hours. He’s brilliant when he wants to be. Sometimes Shisui joins in our shenanigans too, but he’s such a stickler for rules. It’s really boring, so we tend to…forget to invite him.”

Hmm. Regardless, they were very talented up there. Bobbing and weaving through other players, the balls in play, and the crowd. Especially the one with longer hair. Kisame’s chin rested against his palm, finding himself focusing more and more on watching him. He was so focused and cool. Kisame could fly too, but he wasn’t nearly as gifted as the guys out there. Most of that was thanks to his height and weight; there wasn’t often a regular broom that could handle him. Not like he would really need one when he left this school. Adult wizards would be able to apparate wherever they wanted to. 

As he watched Itachi flip upside down on his broom and break into a dive, he got a sudden idea. If Shisui was such a stick in the mud, maybe he could do something to make him a little more interesting? Something like drinking a love potion. That would be quite the story to tell when the spell wore off. Kisame wasn’t really into having someone fall in love with him, but it would be nice to have someone doting on him for a little while. Maybe Shisui would make him cookies or do his boring homework. 

He reached into his robes, feeling the flask he still hadn’t given back to Obito. Kisame had been carrying it around with him, waiting for just the right moment to use it. Now could be that time. 

“Don’t wait up.” He left Obito to smack himself in the face with another pecan and made for the stairs. It wasn’t hard to figure out where the Quidditch players would be coming in at, so maybe he could snag a quick conversation. It wouldn’t be too hard to do, especially if Itachi knew he was going through an “initiation” to join Akatsuki. He might be very willing to help him out. Then again, Kisame had no idea who else was privy to the mission he was on. He knew some Akatsuki members were, but he didn’t know if the whole group was. He just assumed they were.

Kisame listened to them shout out scores as he waited. The two houses were doing well for themselves, but the amount of times he heard Shisui and Itachi’s names come up was pretty astonishing. Were they carrying the game, or was it just because he was paying attention to them?

“Ravenclaw catches the snitch! Ravenclaw wiiiiins!”

He perked himself up slightly, listening to the roar of people in the crowd. Quidditch was a big part of his old school too, but it was more interesting here. Durmstrang didn’t have other houses that they played against, so the competition within Hogwarts was better. 

As anticipated, Ravenclaw and Slytherin players were making their way towards the gate. Kisame waited until they had dismounted and were on their way to the lockers before he popped out from the small stairwell he’d been sitting in. “Good game,” he called out to them. 

Itachi barley glanced his way while Shisui beamed at him. “Hey, thanks! You’re that new Durmstrang kid, right? Are you not joining the Gryffindor team? You look like you’d make a great keeper with your size.”

“I would be good for one goal post and never make it to the others in time, trust me.” Kisame offered in a friendly tone. He needed to butter Shisui up to take the bait. Luckily, he seemed the nice, gullible type. “You two, on the other hand, were quite brilliant.”

Shisui nudged Itachi who merely frowned at the gesture. “Look, Itachi, we’ve made a new friend in another house.”

“He’s Obito’s friend.” Itachi clarified. 

“Ah, another reckless student, huh?” Shisui laughed, “Well, just don’t get in too much trouble. Detention with Professor Senju is no fun at all, trust me.”

Kisame thought of the white-haired transfiguration teacher and didn’t doubt it for a moment. He’d never seen such a sour guy before, and that was saying something. His laughter joined Shisui’s, “What sort of person would I be if I get caught so easily?”

“Fair enough,” his target offered a hand. “I’m Shisui, by the way. They’ll tell you I’m the stickler, but I’m just careful. This is Itachi, the one with all the crazy ideas.”

“Don’t confuse me with the rest of our family.” The other Uchiha said. He seemed strangely interested in staring at the wall.

Kisame reached for the flask, figuring now was as good as time as any, and offered it. He wondered slightly if Itachi knew what it was. He was part of the Akatsuki, after all, so he must know Kisame was up to something. But Shisui wasn’t in on it and he knew that for sure. This would just look like an attempt to make friends from a transfer student. And who knew? Durmstrang’s greetings could be very different from those in Hogwarts. Shisui wouldn’t dare refuse. “A pleasure to meet you; you can call me Kisame. You must be thirsty after crushing that other house. Would you care for a drink?”

“Wow, you’re so nice!” Shisui reached for it only for Itachi to grab it before him. Without taking a sniff, he downed the entire contents and left none for his cousin. 

Hold on, did Itachi even know what he just did?

Itachi took the time to screw the cap back on and hand it right back to him. “Thanks. I’m sure we’ll see you around. Come on, Shisui, the team is waiting for us.”

“Itachi, hey, what if I wanted some?” The boy frowned at the back of Itachi’s head then sighed. “That’s so rude of you. Um, thanks anyway, Kisame. We’ll see you in class. Itachi, wait!” He trailed after him quickly. 

Kisame watched them vanished into the next room, down to his watch, then back. Wait. Wasn’t the potion supposed to be instant? Did it take a while to take effect? Did it matter how much he drank? This wasn’t quite what he thought was going to happen. 

Did he make it wrong? 

Obito might know, or he’d know someone else who did. Perhaps Deidara since he was the one that had given him the instructions to begin with. Or Itachi had something to nullify the effects of the potion and he’d been carrying it around just in case Kisame offered it to someone Itachi didn’t want involved. If he was the mastermind like Obito said, it was possible for him to be very prepared. 

Jeez, this sucked. If that was the case, he was going to have to start all over again. There wasn’t a single drop of the potion left in the flask. Obito was never going to let him live this down and it put a serious damper on his plans. He might really have to wait for the holidays now. There wasn’t time to make another batch in the middle of tests, and Kisame was in the last year of school anyway. His exams were nothing to joke about.

“Damn,” he muttered, turning to head back to Obito and get this out of the way. Better his housemate figured it out through his words rather than through the grapevine later. Maybe Obito could help him come up with a solution to this.

He’d gotten up just a few steps when he heard, “Kisame, wait!”

Pausing, Kisame turned slightly to see Itachi running up to him, not a single change in his appearance. No awe-inspired gaze, no batting of his eyelashes, no soft expression. Still the same sullen look as ever. Great, so he wasn’t affected at all and this really was a failure. He’d caught on to what Kisame was doing after all. “Look,” he began, turning himself in before he got a lecture. “It’s not like I was going to make him do anything-,”

Itachi cut him off by taking a step higher than Kisame’s to even their heights, grabbing the nape of his neck, and pulling him into a kiss. It was so sudden that Kisame wasn’t sure how he was supposed to proceed. Wasn’t the potion a dud? 

But the other Uchiha wasn’t about to let him off with that. He snatched the front of Kisame’s robes and pulled him closer so he could more easily wrap his arms around Kisame’s larger frame. 

The smaller boy was so close to him that Kisame could feel the heat radiate between their bodies. Both his hands were frozen awkwardly, unsure if he was supposed to be returning the embrace of shoving him off. His hesitancy didn’t stop the other from weaving his fingers through Kisame’s shorter hair, surrendering a good portion of his weight to lean into him, and slipping his tongue into Kisame’s still shocked mouth to taste him.

“Mhph-!” Kisame wasn’t ready for this sort of affection. He was hoping to be spoiled, not jumped on. He wiggled out of Itachi’s grip by going down a step. “Whoa now, tiger, I think you’re getting ahead of yourself there.”

Itachi’s grip was still tight on his robe, even following a step down to keep Kisame within range. “Sorry, I just- I didn’t like the way I left you.” He took another step closer, not aiming to kiss him again but wishing to be near. Their faces were inches apart and _now_ he could see the interest in them. The way that Itachi’s gaze flicked between Kisame’s eyes, looking for a reflection of interest there. “Do you want to get out of here together?”

“Uh… Didn’t you want to celebrate with your team? You just won.”

“I’d rather celebrate with you.” He took Kisame’s hand and offered a sweet smile that actually had Kisame’s heart skipping a beat. Whoa, Itachi looked sort of cute when he smiled. Not at all like the stoic boy he saw a few minutes ago playing Quidditch. Perhaps it was a good thing that he had drank the potion instead of Shisui. “Come on.”

“Wait, hang on,” he tripped down the stairs in an effort to keep up with the other boy. “Where are we going?”

“Away from here.” Was the only answer he got.

❀ ❀ ❀

“Well,” Obito was still laughing as they met up in the courtyard just outside the castle, much to Kisame’s utter embarrassment. “This was _not_ what I was expecting when you left yesterday, but I am beyond happy with your decision.”

“Shut up,” Kisame muttered, rubbing the back of his neck that was so very warm compared to the crisp, chilly air. Still, no matter how red he got, it was not blocking all the hickeys that Itachi gave him after his match yesterday. Itachi had dragged him off to the lake and made out with him nearly the entire time before dinner. Kisame was only able to get him off because he knew people would be looking for them. The last thing he wanted was for a teacher to see them on the ground going at each other like horny teenagers. He’d let Itachi put his hands all over him so long as it was above his waist but knowing that Itachi was under the influence of a spell, he wouldn’t let him go further than that. It wouldn’t be right.

He’d told Obito what happened only when he managed to convince Itachi to go back to his own common room, and Obito had not let him live it down ever since. 

Case in point, his friend snagged his shirt down and looked at all the marks again. Little red patches littering his neck and upper half of his chest. Itachi had very deliberately stated how he wanted Kisame to remember who he belonged to now. And Kisame had to admit, the possessiveness from an otherwise quiet boy was extremely hot. “How many did he give you?”

“They’re all over me,” Kisame admitted as he brushed him off and tightened his tie, “I mean, it was nice at the time, but I look like I’ve for some sort of disease now.”

“You said that he drank the entire flask, right? That’s way too much. You should have stopped him. One dose generally lasts only twenty-four hours, but who knows how long Itachi is going to be after you now.”

That was what he was afraid of. If Itachi was in on their plan, he would have known better than to drink it all. Hell, he shouldn’t have even taken a sip. So why did he? Not to mention, according to Obito, the way Itachi had acted was completely the opposite of his normal personality. Kisame was making him act strange, and who knew if that would affect his studies. 

“I’ll figure out how to reverse the affects.” He decided, leading the way towards Hogsmeade where they were going to meet up with the other Akatsuki members. Regardless of the fact an Akatsuki member had drank the potion, he still did as he was asked. Obito did say it didn’t matter who drank the potion, and Itachi’s strange behavior had yet to be noted by the teachers. He wasn’t in trouble yet. 

Obito passed him an amused look, “Aw, my cousin isn’t good enough for you?”

“You sure you should be saying that about your cousin, Obito?”

“Why not?” he shrugged. “He could stand to lighten up. And you’re one of us now, so I couldn’t think of a better match.”

What a weird family relationship they had. “You know he’s going to kill me when he snaps out of this. Or you. Or all of us.”

“Guess you better enjoy it while it lasts. Speaking of,” he nodded off to the side.

Kisame followed his focus and felt his heart jump again at the same time his stomach dropped. Itachi was walking with Shisui and looked over at him at the same time. No hesitation, he ditched Shisui and went straight for Kisame. Oh god, he wasn’t about to try and make out with him in public, was he?

“Hey, Itachi,” Kisame tried to be polite and smile despite being mentally confused. “How did you sleep?”

“If I’m being honest, I was a bit lonely.” He slipped his hand into Kisame’s and matched his pace, ignoring Obito completely. Kisame didn’t miss the fact that Shisui was watching them in disbelief at the sudden abandonment. 

Obito snorted into the back of his hand. “Come on, we’re meeting the others at The Hog’s Head.” 

Kisame felt he had no choice but to go, especially when Itachi gave him a gentle tug to follow. He glanced down at their combined hands then to Itachi’s face. A face that was indifferent until it looked up at him with the faintest hint of a grin. Kisame remembered tasting those lips and wondered if he was going to do that again. He shouldn’t, it wasn’t fair to Itachi, but he would be lying if he said he didn’t want to. 

Whispers caught his attention, words he couldn’t quite make out, and he turned his eyes around him. Students were catching on to their connection with growing interest yet turning away when they caught him looking. Was it truly so unusual to see Itachi taking an interest in anyone?

The hand in his squeezed comfortingly. “Ignore them. It’s none of their business.”

Kisame straightened his shoulders and built up his confidence, needing to own the situation before anyone realized it was all a lie. They would come up with an excuse for everyone later, but if he rejected any advance from Itachi now, he’d still be stuck under the influence of the love potion. That would just make things seem even more sketchy. 

Hogsmeade was a new place to him. It was very much upbeat and friendly compared to some of the places he’d been around Durmstrang. There was even a joke shop here! He’d have to make a mental note to check out some of the places in the village before they went back to the castle. 

As it was, Obito led the way into a dingy looking building, old just like everything else around here, and musty as soon as they entered. Kisame swore he inhaled dust as soon as they walked through the doors. Already inside were a few other students, some of them drinking butterbeer in small groups, but Obito led them into the back of the tavern. A larger table had been set up and most of the seats filled by students from all four houses. Kisame recognized some, others this would be a first meeting. But all of them were blatantly staring at the hand in his. 

“No way!” Deidara, bouncing up from his seat to point and laugh. “ _Itachi_ was your target!? Oh, this is great. That’s what you get for showing me up in Defense Against the Dark Arts class, you arrogant jerk.”

Itachi didn’t even flinch. “You made yourself seem like a fool, Deidara. A boggart is something even a child could trap.”

“A boggart?” Kisame smiled at the thought, now suddenly curious. That had been quite an interesting lesson in one of his earlier years at Durmstrang. You got to find out everyone’s worst fears and see it turned into something absolute ridiculous. “What did it turn into for him?”

“A giant chicken.”

“It wasn’t- childhood trauma isn’t a joke, you prick!”

“Relax, Deidara, and sit down. Today is a day to celebrate. Kisame was able to complete his tasks, and now he gets to be one of us. Where’s Zetsu?”

“He’ll be here soon.” A boy with red hair said, bored. “When is our fearless leader showing up?”

Leader? Kisame had though Obito was the leader. He was the one that had given Kisame his mission and had been the person Kisame kept reporting back to. If not him, then was it another student from another house? Why did he get the feeling it was a Slytherin?

Itachi moved towards one of the sofas, letting Kisame sit down first in one of the corners. “I’ll go get us some drinks.”

“Okay,” 

He counted the steps as the Uchiha walk away from their group towards the bar, drawn back to the conversation only when another man plopped down next to him. He had Ravenclaw’s house symbol on his uniform, so this must be Kakuzu. “Pretty brave of you to go after Itachi. He’s going to kill you when it comes out of it.”

Kisame only laughed, refusing to let that bother him. Itachi might be mad, sure, but it wasn’t like he was letting the Uchiha go too far. He’d have his dignity still mostly intact when the potion wore off or when Kisame found a way to break it. Well, mostly intact. As long as making out with another guy wasn’t on an ultimate ‘no-no’ list for him, Kisame was fine.

“To be fair,” he began, “I wasn’t even aiming for him. I was aiming for Shisui since Obito said he was boring. I figured this might be a way to make him more noteworthy.”

Kakuzu grunted, “In that case, I take back what I said. If you had gotten Shisui, he would have killed you only after making you suffer. Shisui is his best friend.”

Which explained the interference. “I’m just surprised he drank it. Didn’t he know what I was doing?”

“No, he wouldn’t,” Another boy joined them, dragging up a chair. He had orange-tinted hair and a Slytherin badge. Was he the leader? “Itachi had been busy getting ready for the match, so he hadn’t been filled in yet.”

Oh…shit. Now Kisame did feel a little bad. He turned to Obito who was absorbing this like watching a soap opera. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because it was funny.” 

At least Kisame had completed his goal then, even if it was with the wrong person. Yet, really, it wasn’t as bad as he thought. Itachi wasn’t bad looking, and he was a really good kisser. Both were great perks. There could have been worse options out there. 

He turned to Deidara next, “You’re good at potions, right? Is there a way to counter this so he’s back to normal? Itachi drank an entire flask’s worth of the stuff.”

Deidara laughed and shook his head, “If it had been anyone else but Itachi, I might have. But I have no interest in helping that guy. I say let him make an idiot of himself and enjoy the attention while you can.”

Why was everyone saying that? Sure, the love potion wasn’t going to hurt Itachi, but they were all friends. This had been an accident. 

Kisame didn’t get to dwell much on that before Itachi made his way back to the group with two mugs in hand. He handed one over before he looked to Kakuzu, taking up the spot next to the person he was ‘in love’ with. The mood instantly soured, like a cat meeting a dog. “Move.”

Kakuzu didn’t budge. “If you had wanted to sit next to him, you should have sat next to him. I’m comfortable now, so find a new seat.”

Was there about to be a wizard fight? They both looked like they were sizing each other up, mentally figuring out the best jinx or curse to fire at the other. Kisame quietly brought the drink to his lips, expecting to taste the softness of butterbeer and instead being greeted by something that burned. Itachi had gotten firewhiskey? They didn’t usually sell this stuff to students. 

“Fine,” Itachi said at last, deciding Kakuzu wasn’t worth his time. He turned to Kisame, moved his arms away from his body, then plopped right down into his lap. 

For a moment there was a stunned silence at Itachi’s actions, but then a few of them began chuckling. Namely Deidara, Hidan, and Obito. The one female member broke into a smile while the others just sort of accepted the action. 

Kisame, however, was baffled. Itachi didn’t really fit well into his lap – there wasn’t that much room to begin with – and, surely, he couldn’t be comfortable. Another action brought on by the love potion no doubt; an action that was bringing Kisame’s earlier blush back to his cheeks. “Uh, Itachi? If you want to sit on the couch…”

“I’m fine.” Itachi pulled Kisame’s arm that wasn’t holding the drink and guided it around his waist, intertwining their fingers and sipping his own cup. He shifted only once to put himself at an angle, leaning into the armrest so he could still see Kisame’s face. “Is this okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine with it.” He was absolutely not fine with it. 

Itachi smiled again, happy with the answer. Why was that making Kisame feel giddy inside? It must be the drink. This wasn’t real affection, it was fake. Remember it was fake. That adorable smile and the softness of their bodies together was totally, totally _fake_. “Do you have firewhiskey where you came from?”

Kisame took another sip and nodded. “Yeah, it’s pretty common. Butterbeer isn’t, though. I’d like to be able to try it sometime.”

“Really?” Itachi moved his mug closer. “That’s what I got. Would you like to try it now?”

“Oh, sure. I’d love to.”

Rather than giving him the mug, Itachi took a long drink of his own. Was he worried that Kisame would like it and drink the other half? Having a lot of family, maybe one of his cousins used to always steal his stuff. 

A moment later, Itachi set his mug down on the table next to the couch, cupped Kisame’s face, and pulled him into another kiss right in front of everyone. With one hand still caught by Itachi’s and the other holding the firewhiskey, Kisame had no chance of defending himself. 

Then, just like yesterday, Itachi made himself at home by pushing his tongue in and letting it move against Kisame’s. The sweetness of butterbeer invaded his mouth, as did the unique taste of Itachi himself. It was a pleasant mixture, one that Kisame happily let intoxicate him while jeers sounded nearby. Mocking and teasing tones that he couldn’t quite make out past the blood pumping in his ears. He didn’t focus on them, so instead he gave all his attention to the man in his lap, pulling him just a little bit closer at the waist. Giving himself over to the urge of drawing his own tongue over Itachi’s bottom lip, getting more of the sweet taste butterscotch. It wasn’t exactly how he planned on trying out the drink, but this was a wonderful alternative. 

With a teasing nip to his chin, Itachi finally pulled back a little to ask, “How’d it taste?”

Oh dear, this potion was going to be the end of him.

Before he could answer, another voice interrupted, “Okay, kids, that’s enough. Why are you so loud today?”

They all turned to see one of their professors walking up to them, specifically their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Why was he here? 

Professor Madara took one glance around them all as he waited for them to hush, then to Itachi who wasn’t budging from where he sat. Kisame waited for them all to get in trouble or for Madara to ask what the heck was going on. He didn’t. The professor just pulled up a chair from a nearby table and joined their little group. “Having fun, Itachi?”

Only then did the boy on his lap stiffen and look away from him. He didn’t answer, but neither did he move. 

The professor continued, unbothered, “Quite the bold move you made, Kisame, but I must say I’m impressed. When I had Obito give your mission, I expected you to find an easier target.”

Hold up, a professor was a leader of their little gang? Kisame check to see if anyone else was catching on to this. There had been other students in the tavern when they arrived, and he could still see a few of them now. Yet not one of them were looking this way or even paying any sort of attention. Had Madara cast some sort of cloaking spell so they saw something different? 

He had best just play along for now. And, funny enough, Madara was the head of the Slytherin household, so Kisame’s earlier guess had been correct after all. “I’m sure you all had such high expectations from a student transferring from a rival school, so I had to make sure I represented, sir.”

Madara nodded, “And you did. We like to make sure you’re willing to bend a few rules before we can place any trust in you. On that note, welcome to our little club.”

“Thanks. Though, I must say it is quite surprising to see a teacher being the founder.”

“Do you think these kids could get away with half of what they do without me?” Madara asked. “I’m not always in agreement with our Headmaster about how to develop the minds of our students. If we restrict their creativity, we are essentially killing the development of the wizarding world. Sometimes, rules must be broken for progress to happen. So long as you are in the Akatsuki, I expect great things out of you.”

“I’ll do my best not to disappoint.”

“You won’t,” Itachi assured him, squeezing his hand lightly. Comforting as ever to the man who had captured his heart…with a love potion. “I’ve seen you in class before. You’re quite brilliant, even if you aren’t catching the limelight.”

Oh, Itachi had been watching him, huh? Strange how Kisame had never noticed that before. “You think so?”

“Mhm,” He took another sip of his butterbeer, “But some of your transfiguration could use work. If you need a private tutor, I’d be happy to help.”

Kisame did his best to ignore the ‘oooohs’ off in the corner and quickly buried his answer in his own drink. Why was Itachi staring at him so intently? And in front of so many people? Good lord, he really needed to wake this guy up before Itachi ended up giving him a heart attack. 

As if realizing what he was physically doing to Kisame’s poor body, Itachi gave him a wink. 

FFFFFFFFFFFuuuuuuuccccckkkkkk. 

“Here,” Madara handed something to Konan who then passed it around until it reached Kisame. It was a small metal ring with the symbol of “south” at its center; it was a similar ring he’d seen Obito tuck into his robes in the morning when they got ready for class. “That’s what I’ll use to contact you all when it’s time for midnight lessons. These other students are hardly a challenge when it comes to practicing your skills at magic, so we meet once a week. Obito will show you the best ways to get around the castle unnoticed. If possible, try to bring something new with you on every visit.”

“Yes sir,” Kisame said, although his mind was still on Itachi and the rising warmth of his own cheeks. 

Madara stood up then, “I can’t stay long. I still another matter to attend to with other professors. But out of curiosity…” He went to Itachi and grabbed his chin, forcing him to look up. Something the younger Uchiha clearly didn’t like and glared back up at him. “Are you really under the effects of a love potion? It’s hard to imagine a sharp student like you falling for such a cheap trick.”

Itachi bravely slapped his hand away and leaned into Kisame even more. “It’s not a love potion, Madara. My feelings are genuine.”

“You think saying pretty words and kissing him will prove that?”

“I’m not trying to prove anything, least of all to you. And I don’t need your permission nor your acceptance.” He paused a moment to turn to Kisame, all the fire vanishing in his eyes for something softer. “All I need is yours.”

“Oh.” Be still his beating heart. 

Madara scoffed and turned away from him. “Oh yeah, he’s got it bad. Do keep an eye on him until he’s back to normal, Kisame. We don’t need him making a scene.”

Was sitting on his lap not a scene!?

“Yes sir,” he said again, patting Itachi’s stomach in a way he hoped appeared comforting. “I’ll keep an eye on him.”

“Then keep an eye on me somewhere else.” Itachi stood up, pulling him to his feet. “These guys are only in the way.”

“Hey!” Hidan barked out, “The only reason you’re saying that is because you’re under a spell. I liked you better when you were quiet!”

Faster than Kisame saw, Itachi pulled out his wand and aimed it at the other boy. One second Hidan was there, the next there was a flash and a white cat stood in his seat. “The next person to try to invalidate my feelings for Kisame are going to be turned into rats, and I’ll enjoy watching Hidan hunt you.”

“Right, okay, on that note, we’re going to go.” Kisame set his drink down and pulled Itachi out of the crowd. “We’ll catch up with you lot later.”

No one seemed overly bothered by Itachi’s actions – in fact, he swore he heard Kakuzu mutter something along the lines of “you deserved that.” These guys were going to be a lot of fun to hang around until graduation. They all would have fit in really nicely at Durmstrang, and Madara would have made a brilliant professor. Kisame wondered if Madara taught Dark Arts in his secret class like Durmstrang did in some of its public ones. 

“Kisame.” Itachi pulled him to stop just outside The Hog’s Head, “Where are we going?”

“Somewhere you won’t get upset at your friends,” Kisame answered him. “I didn’t want to be the cause of a falling out.”

Itachi frowned slightly, “What sort of friends don’t support your feelings? If you want to talk about friends, I’ll introduce you to Shisui.”

If Kisame were to tell him that his feelings weren’t real, there was a good chance he’d become a mouse too. Even if Itachi was still under the power of the potion, Kisame wasn’t going to chance it. This guy had the balls to bite back against a teacher and use magic against another student in front of him. Itachi wasn’t to be taken lightly. 

He sighed, wondering what to do now. He couldn’t search for a fix to this while Itachi was around him or he’d be accused of the same, but he didn’t want to leave him alone. “You know, it was very strict in Durmstrang. We didn’t get to go out like this to a nearby town and hanging out with others was seen as a waste of precious study time.” He hoped he wasn’t about to regret saying this, but with Itachi he doubted he would. “Why don’t you spend today showing me around before we go back to the castle?”

“Where do you want to go?”

Kisame smiled and squeezed his hand. “Everywhere.”

And so, they went, wasting no time entering the ‘honeymoon’ phase of their relationship – fake though it was. Itachi, he found, favored sweets and took him into a candy store first. Such a thing would normally have been laughed at, and Kisame hadn’t heard of half of the things inside that shop. Bertie Botts Beans, sure, who _hadn’t_ heard of those, but there were also small candies that made you sound like a random animal, candies that made you float, a lollipop that lasted for days, and ones that moved. Itachi got himself a handful of chocolate frogs and exploding bon bons, promising to share with Kisame if he “asked nicely.”

He pulled his infatuated Ravenclaw with him into the sports shop next, something he knew they both would enjoy. Kisame might not be a Quidditch player, but the sport was popular in Bulgaria. Their country often made it to the Quidditch World Cup. Itachi was happy to explore the new models around the store, mentioning some fond memories he shared with Shisui or his younger brother. 

“Do you fly?” Itachi asked, looking at a black broom that promised speed and stealth. Perfect for night games. 

“Not often,” he answered, gesturing towards himself. “I feel like if I’m going to fly, it should be on the back of a dragon or something. You know, a creature that can handle my immense size and not a twig between my legs.”

Suddenly Itachi’s hands were on him patting down his sides like he was sizing him up. Then he looked towards one of the brooms, making some sort of mental calculation. “You’re right. I imagine it’s a little hard for you to balance.”

Balance wasn’t the issue; it was the sitting on it that made him uncomfortable. 

But then a knowing smirk teased its way onto the Uchiha’s face, and he glanced up through those thick eyelashes. “Though, I can think of a few creatures who can handle your weight just fine.”

“Like what, a hippogriff?” Kisame tried pitifully to deflect, making sure no one around them heard Itachi’s pass at him. No luck, people were already turning to stare. “I don’t think they’d let one of those into the school.”

“I think you’d be surprised what you could get away with in this school, Kisame.”

He blushed furiously at the suggestion and coughed. “Ah, well, it’s getting a bit stuffy in here, isn’t it? Let’s try another store.”

Kisame took his hand and pulled him away from the now whispering other students, back out into the cooler air of Autumn. Poor Itachi might actually die when he came back to himself. Hopefully, he remembered none of this and save himself some of the embarrassment. Meanwhile, Itachi was happy to tag along, enjoying himself more than he should be. To his intoxicated mind, this must be like a giant game. How many times could he excite the big, new student before Kisame turned into a gooey mess of flustered nerves?

“What about that place?” Kisame asked, pointing to a building with an obnoxiously pink front. Couples seemed to be weaving in and out of it like a local hangout. 

Next to him, Itachi’s face dropped and he rolled his eyes. “If you want to go on the most cliché date ever, I can set that up for you. Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop is where boys go to impress the girls, and even then, it’s more of a third-year type hangout.” 

“Yeah, I can tell cliché dates aren’t your thing,” Kisame laughed lightly, letting Itachi lead him down the street. “You’re more of a ‘make out by the lake’ type, aren’t you?”

“Was I moving too quickly for you?”

“A shock, but not unpleasant. In fact, I’d be happy if you wanted to do that again. On the other hand, I’m also very interested in getting to know you- the _real_ you- when this is all over.”

Itachi blinked thoughtfully, “When what’s all over?”

Oh gosh, quick, change topic before Kisame was turned into a mouse. “Oh, uh,” he glanced around in desperate hopes that an excuse would just fall out of the sky. “Hanging around here, surrounded my people…I suppose. Hard to get to know someone when everyone’s got their eyes and ears on you.”

“Then say no more, I have the perfect place in mind.” Itachi steered them off the main street then, cutting through some buildings and heading towards a path leading out of the small village. “There’s a place nearby called the Shrinking Shack that’s said to be haunted. Why don’t we go check it out? Not even Obito wants to go near it.”

A place away from the Akatsuki and the rest of the students? Now that _did_ sound interesting. “Lead the way.”

❀ ❀ ❀

Kisame had been so comfortable and close to sleep when he heard tapping on the window next to his head. In a desperate attempt to ignore it, he flipped over and tucked his face more into the pillow. He was chasing dreams while recounting the day’s events. Hanging out with Itachi had been fun. He thought he was being led to the shack for another, well, _shack_ , but that wasn’t the case at all. Turns out, Itachi liked spooky things as well and didn’t have the heart to lead the charge on his own. The Akatsuki were mostly filled with boisterous people or those who appeared not to care, so it was easier to hang out Shisui who held all the excitement for him. But with Kisame, it was like he could “be himself” without worry of being judged or made fun of. 

Kisame was going to really regret letting him go. He’d spent time when they got back to their own common rooms mixing together an antidote for the Uchiha. As fun as this was, he didn’t want it to go past three days. Not when exams were just around the corner and Itachi was known for being one of the brightest students at Hogwarts. He couldn’t just rub dirt on the guy’s reputation. 

The knocking persisted. 

“Someone shut that owl up before I jinx it!” someone in the dorm groaned angrily from their own bed. 

Seeing as he was the closest, Kisame joined the groan with his own and climbed out of the warm nest he had created. He braced a knee against the stone window ceil and opened it up, expecting to get smacked in the face with feathers or a letter. Why an owl was at his window so late, who knew? It wasn’t like he really wrote anyone in the first place, and it was far too early for the Daily Prophet to be delivered. 

As the windows opened, he was instead met with the back end of a broom. He blinked a few times to ensure that he was seeing correctly then followed its length up to where Itachi sat holding it from the other end, riding a different broom. A smile on his face and a small wave of ‘come on’ went together in a really adorable way. Surely the potion wasn’t driving him to make late night visits. Where had these brooms even come from anyway?! Unless he stole them from the Quidditch practice room…

Kisame held up one finger for him to wait a moment and retreated back inside, pulling on a robe and sneakers to fight against the cooler night air. He also grabbed the small vial of a cure he’d made and slipped it into his pocket. 

Now was the freaky part. Kisame had only ever mounted on a broom from the ground, not a jump outside his window. Not to mention he was unfamiliar with this particular broom and style. It was a little bigger than Itachi’s, like the other boy had deliberately picked it out for him. But he trusted Itachi to not try and kill him – yet – and couldn’t bear to look uncool in front of him. He took a deep breath and climbed on. 

He sunk a few feet down before the magic seemed to kick in, enough for his heart to plummet into his stomach, then adjusted to get more comfortable. Itachi waited patiently for him then led him away after gently pushing the window closed so no one else woke up. 

Okay, he had to admit this was really cool. The castle was old and history-filled on the inside, but the outside was just as incredible. Outside paths, gargoyles, towers, bridges; it was like being in medieval England or something. Itachi took him on the scenic route, under walkways, past not well known waterfalls, and near the outer courtyards before Kisame could finally make out the roof they were heading towards. It was near the Herbology buildings, flatter with what looked to be a blanket on top with things around it. 

Itachi landed first and made room for Kisame’s less graceful approach. Then he smiled proudly down at the small spread he’d made on the blanket. A bottle of some sort of drink Kisame had yet to identify, two glasses, a slice of cake, and a small box. 

“You wanted cliché,” Itachi mused, sitting himself down on a cushion then patting the one next to him. “So, I made you cliché.”

“Wow,” was all he could say, joining him and picking up the bottle. Dragon Barrel Brandy, not a cheap drink, and normally aged for 150 years. This one was aged for at least twice that. Uchiha’s must be quite the wealthy family around these parts to be able to afford it. “Did you get this all for tonight?”

“You mentioned riding a dragon, and that was the closest I could manage. It’s not too hard to ask my cousins to smuggle stuff into Hogwarts if you know the correct outlets.”

It wasn’t like they were underage wizards either, but still. This was quite a Hogwarts rule to be breaking if they were caught. Out past curfew, drinking, and Kisame was willing to bet the cake was stolen from the kitchens. This could lead to some serious detention with less favorable teachers if someone were to glimpse at them outside of a window right now.

On that note, he opened up the bottle, stiffed the top with a satisfied sigh, and poured them both a glass. It was a beautifully darker drink, one that Kisame hadn’t tasted before. He handed Itachi his glass then took a sip of his own. Oh yeah, this was not cheap stuff. 

Itachi scooted closer to him so their shoulders brushed, smoothing out the blanket with his free hand. “I hope I’m not being too forward with you, but I do like you, Kisame. A lot. And since your part of the Akatsuki now, I know you’re okay with bending the rules and keeping secrets. Would it be okay if we do things like this more often?”

He wanted to say yes, but at this point, the guilt was eating him alive. This wasn’t just messing with Itachi anymore, it was taking full advantage of him. He lowered the drink, setting it out of the way and pulling out the antidote to place in Itachi’s hands. “Before I answer that, I want you to drink this.”

The Uchiha glanced at it for a long moment, bobbing it back and forth, analyzing the contents. It just looked like water, but it had the power to turn Itachi back into himself. “What is it?”

“It’s…” How could he say this without hurting Itachi’s feelings like their friends had yesterday? Maybe that was all he could really do. He opted for honesty. “Look, Itachi, do you remember that drink you took from me after your Quidditch match?”

“Yes, it was very good. It tasted like pumpkin pasties.”

“It, well, it wasn’t.”

“What was it?”

“A love potion.”

“And this is the antidote, is it?”

Kisame nodded, bracing himself for Itachi’s anger.

Yet the other student gave away no kind of emotion. He just stared at the liquid for along moment, debating. For someone so young, he was so stoic! Kisame couldn’t read him at all. But then, he popped open the top and downed the entire thing on one gulp. Strange, Kisame had expected more of a resistance. Why would someone in love with him be so willing to get rid of it?

Here it comes. The anger and rejection. The curses and jinx that Kisame was going to be feeling tomorrow. He totally deserved all of it too. He should have brought his wand for protection, but like an idiot he’d forgotten it. Gah, why had he done this so soon? He should have waited until _after_ this adorable little date. 

Out of the blue, Itachi started laughing. He handed the vial back, took in Kisame’s shocked expression, and laughed even more. “You are such an idiot, Kisame. Did you think that would work?”

Something was wrong. Really wrong. Kisame checked the vial to make sure he grabbed the right thing, then turned back to Itachi with a frown. “I don’t understand. I made it all according to Deidara’s instructions.”

“That’s your first mistake. _Never_ take instructions from Deidara. The only reason he ever passed a potions class is because of Sasori.”

Okay, now he was _really_ confused. 

Itachi took pity on him, taking Kisame’s abandoned drink and putting it back into his hands. He wasn’t mad? “I was never under the influence of a love potion, Kisame. Whatever you made was just a rather pleasant tasting drink – probably a potion that turns into what you enjoy eating or drinking the most. You’ll have to show me the instructions so I could know for sure. As soon as a I drank it, I pulled Shisui away and warned him that it might be some stupid prank the Akatsuki wanted you to do, and Pein confirmed it for me when we were back in the locker rooms. He’s on the Slytherin Quidditch team, you see, and he only then had the time to tell me what you guys were up to. So, I ran back outside and played my part.”

“…oh.” Now he did feel like an idiot. All this time, Itachi had been playing him? Kisame didn’t even feel mad about it. Quite the opposite, he was incredibly impressed. His laughter joined Itachi’s as he realized what an absolute fool he must have looked like in front of the boy, and how Itachi had used this all as an excuse to act completely random in front of the others. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I actually _do_ like you,” Itachi answered with a slight blush. “I wasn’t kidding about having spent time observing you in the past. You’re not like the other Akatsuki guys; you actually have a kind personality and the makings of a good friend. I also wanted to see how far you’d let me go, but you never once tried to stop me. When I realized you wouldn’t, I decided to take full advantage of the situation. I transfigured Hidan – something I always wanted to do to that loudmouth – and tell off Madara for being an insufferable uncle. I should be thanking you, Kisame. You gave me freedom to do things I haven’t been able to. Not when everyone always expects me to be the responsible Uchiha in this school.”

Kisame’s smile widened as he realized, just like he wanted, he’d found someone interesting. He’d found someone fun. Best of all, it wasn’t because a love potion had forced him into it either. He should have known. His potion making skills were terrible at best, explosive at worst. There was no way something he brewed up should have worked correctly the first time.

Reaching forward, he cupped Itachi’s cheek in his hand and looked at him in a new light. This guy was eerily smart and cunning. Someone like him was definitely going to keep Kisame on his toes. “I’m going to enjoy being your boyfriend, Itachi. Assuming, of course, you’re okay with that.”

“Ah,” the other started, blushing a little more under the direct attention and hiding it behind a sip of his drink. “Guess I wasn’t moving too fast at all.”

“And to answer your question, I would _love_ to meet up more like this. Next time, I’ll think of a cliché date to bring you on.”

“Speaking of,” Itachi fell out of his grip, leaning away so he could grab the single box that was out of place on his date spread. He flipped it open and offered it to Kisame, revealing a necklace with the Uchiha’s crest on it. “Just like the Akatsuki have their rings to talk to each other, you and I can have this. That way, I don’t have to come knock on your window to get your attention.”

“Brilliant,” he said in awe. He had no idea how to even make something like this. How clever. Kisame accepted the gift and put it on, proudly letting it sit on top of his clothes so everyone could see it. “Does yours look the same?”

Naturally, it didn’t. Itachi reached into his shirt and revealed his own with Kisame’s clan symbol on it. “I took the liberty of looking up your family to make mine.” 

Kisame reached forward and let his fingers run over the metal, wondering vaguely how long it took Itachi to make them. It was flawless, simple, and perfect. He really must have been planning this for a while, because there was no way he made this in the two days Kisame thought he was under a spell. How many steps ahead was this guy thinking? “Obito called you a mastermind, but he was wrong. You’re an absolute genius.”

“Don’t I at least get a ‘thank you’ for my efforts?”

Kisame snorted and took both their drinks away so they wouldn’t get spilled. When he turned back, he caught Itachi by the waist and eased him back against the roof, bracing an elbow on the other side and bending down so they were chest to chest. “And cheeky,” he added before kissing him. All those passes at Hogsmeade, all those moments of confessing his love boldly – although no one had believed him – and all this effort for Kisame’s benefit, he was about to thank Itachi for the rest of the night.


End file.
